Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Another card for this week's challenge at Less is More. The theme this week is ovals.

This autumn stamp is from Inkadinkado, but the sentiment is by Studio G. Both are stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. The tree stamp is colored with Tombow and Stampin" Up markers. The oval is a reverse mask using the largest Spellbinders' Classic Ovals die. It is sponged with Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans and Vintage Photo Ranger Distress Inks.

Both the scarecrow and sentiment stamps are by Inkadinkado. The oval is sponged using a Spellbinders Classic Ovals reverse mask﻿.

The scarecrow and sentiment are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black Ink. The oval is sponged with Stampin' Up Bashful Blue and Marina Mist inks, as well as Ranger's Distress Ink Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo. The scarecrow is colored with Tombow and Stampin' Up markers.

Another beautiful fall day here. The colors are getting prettier everyday.

I finally had a chance to sit down and make a Halloween (my favorite card making theme) card this season. I've had this whispy spider and web clear acrylic "Halloween" stamp set by BasicGrey for a couple of years now and just rediscovered it the other day in with my Halloween stash. The little spiders and the web with a zillion little spiders in the lower left corner are by Inkadinkado, Martha Stewart and Cloud 9. I wanted to get an eerie Halloween feel with the spiders, but at the same time try to capture Nature's beauty early on a fall morning when their webs sparkle with the morning dew or frost.

With the exception of the word "Halloween" which is stamped with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink, everything else is stamped by frst inking the stamps with Verafine Onyx black, then with Brilliance Lightning Black, then stamping.

Red and Star Dust Stickles and white gel pen were added at the end. It's hard to see in the photo, but the webs sparkle in the light as if there is an early morning dew or frost on them. Red was added to the spiders to make them appear more eerie.

This one layer image is matted on Stampin' Up Concord Crush, scrap orange and SU Real Red card stock.

Monday, September 17, 2012

The inspiration for this fall birthday card for my sister-in-law came from the giant sunflowers my DH grew this summer. Several of them got to be at least 12 feet tall with huge blooms. They are just now starting to get seeds on them, which of course the birds love.

I used Crafty Secrets' wonderful Sunflower stamp set SM34 and also Penny Black's set Flower Festival 30-095 for the open winged butterfly. The trellis on the side is a Martha Stewart punch. The sunflower is popped up using the largest Spellbinders Labels Ten die. The sky is sponged in Stampin' Up ink using two punched scalloped circles taped together as a mask.

The sunflower and butterflies are colored with Copic markers﻿ after stamping with Versafine Onyx black ink and clear heat embossing. Unfortunately the camera doesn't do justice to the actual brilliant yellows I colored the petals on the flower. I stamped, colored and cut out an extra set of the leaves, which are popped up on top of the original ones. The trellis is sponged with yellow Distress ink, then gone over with E84 and E87 Copic markers to make it look more 3-dimensional.

Have a great start to this fall week. More than half-way through September already.

Monday, September 10, 2012

My order for a new Prima mask/template just arrived in the mail today. It is so elegant and I wanted to use it to make a special birthday card. The new Prima mask and the fabulous fall we are having here so far are the inspiration for my card. Penny Black's "So Blessed" beautiful vintage silhouette is the perfect stamp for what I wanted to design. For a fall birthday card I thought it would be fun to use a combination of vibrant oranges, reds and violets off set with a bit of green. Those rich colors fill so much of nature's scenery this time of the year.

The main scene on the card is all one layer matted on piece of scrap violet card stock, then Stampin' Up's Concord Crush and Poppy Parade card stock. The silhouette lady is stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink, colored with Copic markers and clear heat embossed. Prima's Circle mask was the placed over her and sponged with a variety of Memento and Ranger Distress inks. The mask was removed and after applying VersaMark ink with a marker, I clear heat embossed the sponged areas. The mound of grass at the base of the card under her feet was made by using an old brass template from Lasting Impressions as a mask and sponging with ink. This area was also cear heat embossed. Then using more Memento and Ranger Distress inks I sponged in the background colors. White gel pen was added for highlights along with a few dabs of Star Dust Stickles on the dew drops in the grass and in the air.

Thanks for looking.
Have a Super Week. It's a gorgeous start to fall here.
Sue

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Penny Black is hosting a weekend challenge on their blog. The challenge is to make a mini card of any shape or design as long as it's a mini card and uses only Penny Black stamps. Then post it on their Flickr Group Gallery by midnight tonight PST. They'll be giving out some prize packages on Tuesday on their blog. I decided to get my act together at the last minute (as usual) and enter the challenge.

Below is the card I posted on their Gallery and my photostream. It measures 3" wide x 4-3/4" high.

Penny Black stamps used are﻿:

Floral Frame Cling 40-138

Free Flight clear Acrylic 30-117

Brick Wall Cling 40-137

The frame is popped up with dimensional foam tape. Everything except the background inside the frame is colored with Copic markers after stamping with Versafine Onyx Black ink and heat drying or Clear heat embossing. The flowers and bird on the frame were stamped a second time, colored, cut out and popped up on the frame. The background inside the frame is sponged with Tim Holtz Ranger Distress inks - Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap, Old Paper, Iced Spruce, Bundled Sage and Picked Raspberry. The bird inside the cage is stamped with VersaMark and Evergreen Bough Distress inks. I added a few Stickles and some white gel pen highlights to finish it.

About Me

My stamping studio is located at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits of Mackinac, joining Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. It is an area rich in scenic vistas where the waters of the Great Lakes Michigan and Huron join together. Behind the Scenes refers to my preference for scenic stamping. I enjoy the challenge of putting stamps together to create a scene or tell a story.